The Supreme Court tensions broke out this term as justices clashed with each other and had verbal debates with lawyers during the Trump-era wave of emergency appeals.
These communications on any other forum will hardly cause eyebrows. But in the Supreme Court, etiquette and respect are the bedrock principle, and even the most casual crosstalk between justices, these recent conflicts are important.
After a particularly intense exchange, several long-time Supreme Court observers pointed out that the behavior shown was different from anything they had seen in the “decades” of covering the High Court.
These are the two high-profile Supreme Courts that have made headlines in recent weeks.
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Supreme Court Justices, left, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, Chief Justice John Roberts, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayo attended the 60th inauguration ceremony in 2025. (Ricky Carioti /Washington Post via Getty Images)
Last month, Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Sonia Sotomayor had a brief fight in the oral debate in Mahmoud v. Taylor, which focused on books related to LGBTQ in primary schools and whether parents with religious objections could “choose” children with such material.
Excitement occurs when Sotomayor asks Mahmoud lawyer Eric Baxter about a book called Uncle Bobby’s Wedding, a story that quotes same-sex relationships. Sotomayor asked Baxter whether same-sex contact in children's books in question should be considered "coercion".
Baxter started to respond when Alito inserted.
"I've read that book and many other books," Alito said. "Do you think it's possible to say that everything that's done in Uncle Bobby's wedding is to expose the fact that some people marry other men?"
Alito after Baxter opposes Religious beliefs disagree. ”
Sotomayor jumped out in Alito's objection: "One minute, the reservation is-"
"Can I finish it?" Alito said to Sotomayo in a rare moment of frustration.
He continued: "This has a clear moral message, which is probably a good message. It's just something that many religious people disagree with."
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Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagen, Neil Gorsuch, John Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
"There are getting higher and higher exchanges among justices," Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley observed on social media after the exchange.
Sotomayor-Alito spits to make some court observers uncomfortable. But it pales in comparison to the intense, tense exchanges between Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and Williams & Connolly litigant Lisa Blatt.
The exchange took place during the oral debate in AJT v. Osseo Area Schools, about whether school districts can be held liable for disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1973 and the Rehabilitation Act.
Gorsuch scolded Blatt as an experienced Supreme Court litigant who represented the public school after accusing the other side of “lying”.
Even according to the standards of the Supreme Court, it was a very intense exchange. Several court observers noted that they had never seen Gorsuch so angry, while others said they had never seen lawyers accuse the other side of “liking”.
Neil Gorsuch, then Supreme Court judicial nominee, met with Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Jeff Flake on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/J. ScottApplewhite/file)
"Do you believe Mr. Martinez and his lawyer are lying? Is this your allegation?" Goldch asked Blatt, who shot him, "Yes, absolutely."
Attorneys "should be more cautious about their words," Gorsuch's early warning to Blatt told Blatt.
Blatt replied: "Well, they should be more cautious about misinterpreting the posts of the Supreme Court's experienced advocates and with due respect."
A few minutes later, Gorsuch mentioned the allegations of lying again: "Ms. Blatt, I admit that I am still bothered by your advice on the other party's lying."
"I want you to rethink that sentence," he said. "You can blame people for being incorrect, but lying is another matter."
He then began reading the quotes she entered in court, and she interrupted again.
"I'm not done yet," Goldi told Blatt, raising his voice.
"Very good," she replied.
Soon after, Gorsuch asked Blatt to withdraw her earlier remarks, which accused the other side of lying.
“Retract the charges, Ms. Blatt,” Gorch said.
"Very good, I'll quit." She shot backwards.
The plaintiff said in a rebuttal that they would not respect their names.
Supreme Court (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
The exchange has sparked some online buzz, including experienced appeals court litigant Raffi Melkonian, who wrote on social media: “I have never heard of Justice Gorasitch so angry.”
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"These two moments literally blocked my track," said Steve Vladeck, a professor at Georgetown University Law Center. "You might want to listen somewhere and you can be peaceful."
Slater Court reporter Mark Joseph Stern described the exchange as “very nervous” and described Blatt’s behavior as “indignation and repentance.”